Ilkley will remember

On the 11th day of the 11th month at 11 o’clock 100 years ago the guns finally fell silent on the Great War. The Armistice which had been signed six hours before brought to an end the conflict which had claimed the lives of tens of millions, including around 700,000 British soldiers.

Ilkley will pay its respects to those killed or injured in conflicts around the world on Remembrance Sunday with a service at the Memorial Gardens on the Grove at 3pm, the parade will leave Whitton Croft Road (directly behind the Town Hall) at 2.50pm. The order of service can be downloaded here.

The service will also see the dedication of a new WW1 memorial in the gardens, dedicated to the local men who survived the war, but who have passed away during the century since.

On Saturday 240 wooden red poppies will be ‘planted’ in Ilkley Memorial Gardens to commemorate the 220 men and women resident in Ilkley were killed in action during the four years of the First World War. A further 20 more pupils of Ilkley Grammar School who lived outside the town were also lost in the conflict.

Edward Wild, a long-standing Ilkley resident, has meticulously researched their lives and produced a list of their names and details, often with photographs. Artist Russell Brown has crafted the six-inch diameter flower heads and stalks from timber and painted them with long-lasting paint. The cost has been raised primarily from amongst the lawyers and estate agents of Ilkley.

The Lord Mayor of Bradford, Coun Zafar Ali will be attending the service at the cenotaph in Ilkley, and said: “I’m proud to be representing Bradford for this year’s remembrance, 100 years on from the end of the First World War.

Remembrance services will take place in the morning in Addingham, Burley in Wharfedale and Menston, details listed below.

Addingham

10.30am - Service at St Peter's Church, Church Street, Addingham.
11.45am - Parade from St Peter's Church to the War Memorial, Main Street (by Memorial Hall). Wreath laying ceremony.

Burley-in-Wharfedale

9.45am - Service at The Methodist Church, Main Street, Burley-Wharfedale.
10.45am - Act of Remembrance and laying of wreaths at the Cenotaph.

Menston

10.30am - Assemble at the memorials outside Kirklands Community Centre
10.45am - Service commences. Refreshments in Community Centre following service.

Temporary road closures will be in place across the district for some of these services.

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